Re: GAME ON GROUP A : England v France - Sun - 10:00:00 : Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:24 am  

JEAN CAPDOUZE wrote:

I would not be surprised if France sprung an upset and defeated England by 16 points.

But on the other hand England could still win this one now that Jermaine has been cleared of wrongdoing, and is free to bite to his heart's content.

Re: GAME ON GROUP A : England v France - Sun - 10:00:00 : Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:36 am  

I know it’s only a desperately poor France team but Widdop looking excellent at fullback.

Re: GAME ON GROUP A : England v France - Sun - 10:00:00 : Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:38 am  

They look a different team with Widdop & Gale linking up rather than one split either side. Superb handling. Everything stops when it gets to Bateman unfortunately. Percival looks world class & is more than holding his own physically. It will be different against the southern hemisphere teams.

Re: GAME ON GROUP A : England v France - Sun - 10:00:00 : Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:44 am  

Good start against a bit of a rabble that wouldn't trouble half a dozen sides in this comp.
Nice hands and the fluidity is what we want and is IMHO the best way to beat the other teams going forward and ultimately Australians in the final if we get there.
Widdop excellent at FB, Brown doing really well, Gale better and Roby makes such a massive difference, Hodgson shouldn't get in the 17 frankly as he's offered virtually nothing as many have said.
Percival has done alright too.
Hope Graham gets a long rest this game.

Re: GAME ON GROUP A : England v France - Sun - 10:00:00 : Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:44 am  

tigertot wrote:

They look a different team with Widdop & Gale linking up rather than one split either side. Superb handling. Everything stops when it gets to Bateman unfortunately. Percival looks world class & is more than holding his own physically. It will be different against the southern hemisphere teams.

Good job he scored then when it was a 2 on 1 for England and a walk in if he passed.

Re: GAME ON GROUP A : England v France - Sun - 10:00:00 : Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:47 am  

What is wrong with France?
They're an absolute disgrace.

Re: GAME ON GROUP A : England v France - Sun - 10:00:00 : Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:48 am  

France in, damn soft try though.

Re: GAME ON GROUP A : England v France - Sun - 10:00:00 : Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:48 am  

Shifty Cat wrote:

Good job he scored then when it was a 2 on 1 for England and a walk in if he passed.

Finally some constructive criticism of Bateman from the commentary team.

Re: GAME ON GROUP A : England v France - Sun - 10:00:00 : Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:51 am  

I have a concern about how little the lads seem to be enjoying this. They look anxious and unhappy. Even after tries, there’s little sign of team spirit. It’s very dour. They should be enjoying this, but the body language is grim.

Re: GAME ON GROUP A : England v France - Sun - 10:00:00 : Sun Nov 12, 2017 11:03 am  

To me they just look like they know they have a professional job to do, against a team that have spanked on a pretty regular basis. I think they've played very well and fluently, apart from a few minutes near the end with the drop ball and a penalty near the line and the soft try. The backs line speed with the ball has been quick and crisp when spreading it & the forwards have been running very hard on to the ball with great intensity, making big meters after contact.
I like what Widdop has done at FB as well, he's really added an extra dimension in attack and been good under the high ball.
Also the difference Roby makes can't be underestimated, his distribution, his decision making and knowing when to run and when to pass are excellent and far better than Hodgsons.